Explore our prelectures

Interactive Online Lectures (Prelectures)

Students access the prelectures by using a web browser to view animated lecture slides. The navigation of the slides is controlled by an Adobe Flash program such that at a few points during the lecture, the student is presented with a (usually conceptual) multiple-choice question on the current material. If the student answers correctly, they are given an explanation of the answer and can proceed to the next slide. If the student answers incorrectly, they are given an explanation of why their choice is incorrect and, depending on the specific implementation, is either immediately given another try at the question or is presented with a different question that must be answered correctly before they get another try at the original question. In any case, once they answer the initial question correctly, they can proceed to the next slide.

About our group

Physics Education Research (PER) is research into the learning, understanding and teaching of physics and the application of physics knowledge. Our group has a broad range of research interests that include the role of mathematics and reflection in physics learning, the organization and deployment of physics knowledge by experts and novices, differences in perception of physical diagrams and motion between experts and novices, transfer studies, the design and implementation of web-based instruction, curriculum reform, and the evaluation of educational assessments. Experimental techniques and analyses we use in our research include eye-tracking, video analysis, student interviews, web-based log data analysis, and exam question analysis. As a piece of our department's curriculum reform of the introductory sequence, we are in on-going development of web-based instructional materials that include interactive examples, prelectures, and smartPhysics. Our group includes members from both the Physics Department and the School of Education.